Taking the oath seriously...

Rhett Butler and Luke Wallace take the Fenian Oath very seriously.

Following the piper...

Kris Hunt leads the procession from the stage to the cannon firing during the opening ceremony.

A very lively look at the history of death...

Death, (the topic) is a part of the weekend's activities. It isn't a morbid or unhappy experience. In fact, we provide an entertaining and amusing look at nineteenth-century mourning customs. This event proves to be as enjoyable as it is educational.

Dressed in the formal mourning clothes of the nineteenth-century, our bereaved prepare to pay their respects for our departed soldier. Front row L to R: Luke Wallace, Bethany Brenner and Katherine Reisig. Standing is Trish Moss.

The mourners gather...

What do you do with two too many widows?

Opening and Closing Ceremonies

The opening and closing ceremonies feature black powder demonstrations...

The Opening Ceremony will take place at 11:00 AM, Saturday, August 31.       The Closing Ceremony will commence at 4:30 PM on Sunday, September 1.

Paul Miller and Michael Plemmons

Paul Miller of WPHM radio interviews author Mike Plemmons. This chat took place in March, 2010 prior to the launch of Fianna.

http://3apublishing.com/media/311michaelplemmons-fianna.mp3

Enjoy!

Blue Water Sportsman's Association Educate and Entertain

Not only do the artillery and black powder members entertain the crowd with their skills in exhibiting cannon and musket firing - they educate our visitors!

 Norm Gibson explains the whole process of creating the ammunition to a group of visitors.

In creating Fianna...

"Our main focus was the Atkinsons and McMullens. But we do include source material which (to the best of our knowledge) is presented for the first time. The undercover Pinkerton investigation of Midwestern Fenian circles has not been  detailed  elsewhere. We  include a  rare  inter view with Fenian commander William Atkinson.  Also: a sidebar on the Fenians’ long theological battle with the Catholic Church, including a vignette of the Rev. John McMullen and his Fenian friend – the Civil War hero James Mulligan. This, too, is new to Fenian scholarship.

O n e s p e c i a l n o t e :   n o t h i n g h e r e i s f i c t i o n a l i z e d  o r supposed. There are places where a novelist might be tempted to pick up his pen, but we stick to what we can verify – even if it leaves a tantalizing loose thread. Any conjecture is identified as such.

Writing  is reading.  For a work of this kind, the ratio is one to ten.  This writer benefited from indispensible research assistance and – above all – the wisdom and generous support of editor-publisher Ray McCormack.  We thank Vicki Reynolds Mazur, a family historian whose dedication over many years has produced a trove of information and insights.   And Joe Ann Burgett was a tremendous help sleuthing her way through a mosaic of sources in Detroit and Port Huron."    

From 'Fianna' written by Michael Plemmons. 

©Ray McCormack, 3A Publishing